[gblock01]

😮 If I could whistle, I would.  😮

[gblock01]

How about "Problem Potion"?

It's a lame attempt, but titles have never been my strong point anyway. 😳

[gblock01]

Definitely interesting. Can't wait to see the end result!

[gblock01]

While I agree that it is a good drawing, I can't help but feel a little disgusted when I look at it. The eye that the cult leader has keeps giving me flashbacks to that mess of a Harry Potter movie that came out last month.  😉

[gblock01]

Actually, I have been wondering the same thing. I am most curious to see how you are doing.

[gblock01]

THis next part is a little long. However, I'm sure that all of you will enjoy it anyway. Still no FMG in this section, but I promise that there will be some in the next section. In this section, there is some MMG, but not enough, in my opinion, to merit this needing to be posted in another section. Also, the growth is in a different context than most things on this board. You'll see what I mean when you get to it. Enjoy!

**********************************************

Chapter 3

Another blinding flash filled the entire first floor of an old, abandoned building. When the brilliant light faded, eight figures stood in the formerly empty room. Swaying on their feet, four of the figures tried to maintain their balance. One of them spoke in a loud obnoxious voice, “Gods! I think I’m gonna be sick!” He looked as if he were about to retch on the ground, but managed to calm his churning stomach. “Ugh! Good lord! Do they have to move us about like that? And what’s with calling us ‘troops’? I think this guy’s got a mental complex or … UGH!”

The shortest of the dizzy figures had just slammed his elbow into the loudmouth’s gut. Doubling over, he did throw up this time. Grumbling to himself, the small figure seemed satisfied. “At least there is something less foul coming out of your mouth now.” Even the stern figures that remained steady let out a little snicker at the dwarf’s comedic episode.

The figure that had been struck lay on the ground moaning. Another of the unsteady figures stumbled towards his prone form. Extending a hand, he helped the idiot to his feet. “You need to learn when to keep your mouth shut, Chaud, was it? I am Jinn Skye, a wizard of some skill, though not as much as I would like. The dizziness will pass soon, but, if we have to do this again in the future, kindly remember that you aren’t the only person who will be feeling miserable. Especially if you happen to be standing near the dwarf again,” he chuckled.

The dwarf, in response, kicked Jinn in the leg. Clearing his throat, he said in a gravelly voice, “I go’ a name, mister meddlin’ mage. Name’s Prauge Gutrot. Fix it in tha’ empty space o’ a head o’ yers.” His voice carried a heavy accent, making his rough appearance even more intimidating. “An’ tha’ pansy deserved wha’ he go’! I canno’ say tha’ I care fer magic, much, but I don’ go complainin’ about it neither.”

Jinn couldn’t help but smile at the surly dwarf. “My apologies, good dwarf. I’m sorry if my lofty words have offended you. I know that that kind of talk is above you. I shall have to speak in monosyllabic words and make grunting noises so you can understand me better.” At first, the dwarf looked outraged, but then got the hidden meaning behind the words. Instantly, his grim visage melted into a broad smile that showed many large, crooked teeth. “Ha! I think tha’ we’ll be gettin’ along fine, wizard. Er, I guess I should call ya Jinn, shouldn’ I, seein’ as we’re gonna be travelin’ together.”

Shaking her head, the slim but beautiful fourth figure spoke. “You men! Always fighting! It’s a wonder that any are left on this planet!” Jinn turned his beaming face to the elven woman. “Ah, yes Mayim. You are absolutely right. But then, what makes life worth living if it is not fighting for something that you deem important, despite how foolish it seems to others.” Mayim could not keep her angry appearance, and, like Prauge did a few moments before, allowed her face to slide into a smile. “You of all people should know that Jinn, shouldn’t you? Considering your special situation and all.” Jinn’s smile dropped instantly and gave the beautiful woman an extremely stern look, telling her that it would be best if she took that track of thought no further.

Ignoring the quizzical looks from both Prauge and Chaud, Jinn turned to the four figures behind them. “You may go now. We can manage on our own from here. Oh! And tell your boss that he needs to lighten up, okay? Life’s too short to act like you have a bug up your ass all the time.” Finishing with a smile, he turned back to the other three. The four figures paled at the thought of delivering that kind of message to their commander, and wasted no time in using another spell to disappear in another blinding flash of light.

Jinn motioned for everyone to move through the gloom to the door that was facing them. Once everyone had settled their stomachs, they moved forward, into the bright sunlight of the city that they had been in before being taken to Ryu “Quicksilver” Reis’s briefing room.

Once out in the brilliant light of the sun at its peak during the day, Chaud stretched his aching muscles. “Seriously, does it always feel like that when you get teleported?” he asked Jinn. “I mean, you are the only magician among us. Surely you’ve worked those kinds of spells throughout your career.”

Smiling at his ignorance, Jinn shook his head. “Sorry, Chaud but I really have no experience in the magics of movement. I specialize in the destructive arts, as well in the arts of alteration. I do know, however, someone who could tell you.” Chaud’s face brightened when Jinn said that. “For one, you could go back and ask Ryu.” Chaud’s face paled. Jinn, chuckling at his response, continued. “Or, you could ask Mayim. You are a thief, so I had assumed that you knew already. Mayim is a priestess of Mystra, the goddess of all magic. While she cannot actually work the spells, she knows more about them than anyone else. It is part of one of her duties as a high priestess of her order.”

Expectantly, Chaud turned his face to Mayim’s, a pleading look in his eye. A little surprised at being put on the spot in such a way, she hesitated in answering. “Oh, well, uh… yes. Yes. No matter what, anyone who gets teleported will feel that way, even if they are doing the teleporting. After a while, though, your body gets used to being displaced so rapidly and is able to tolerate it better. The only real difference is that you recover faster. Do it enough, and the recovery seems almost instantaneous. But, Jinn, you knew that as well. Why didn’t you just tell him?” Surprised, Chaud looked at Jinn. Smiling yet again, Jinn said, “Because I wanted you to say something without scolding them simultaneously.” Giving an exasperated sigh, she moved off, towards the busy streets of the city. Jinn and the others followed after her.

As the walked through the winding streets of the city, Jinn began to notice that Prauge kept staring at him. Having an idea of what he was thinking, Jinn decided that it would be a good idea to get it over with. “You have a question in your eyes, Prauge. Anything I can help you with?” Startled, the dwarf stammered a reply. “Er, um…yea’. I, I wanted t’ know why, if yer a wizard, yer dressed more like a fighter.”

Jinn was disappointed by the question. He knew that Prauge wanted to ask something else, but he had stopped himself and asked something else. Sighing, he figured that he had better answer. “Well, I practice a unique type of magic. While I still conform to the schools of magic that are normally taught, I don’t use the same methods in my castings. Instead of using specific ingredients, I use the ambient energies around us. As such, I don’t need to wear a wizard’s robe. Also, I have trained myself to fight using weapons should the need arise. This outfit, while a little odd for a warrior, allows me to use my staff as I need. Does that suffice?” Prauge was stammering again. “Er… y-yea’. Sure.”

Lapsing back into silence, they continued on. Inevitably, Chaud broke the relative quite of the street. “Now that I’m thinking about it, where exactly are we going? I mean, I happen to live in this city, so I can get my stuff at any time, but what about you guys? From what I can remember about the layout of this city, we are heading towards the noble’s quarters. I’m pretty sure that we don’t have any business there.” Chaud’s purple eyes shifted nervously as he spoke.

Prauge rolled his eyes. “Lemme guess, you broke into those houses, didn’ you?” Chaud paled, but kept silent. Jinn spoke to him, trying to calm him. “For your information, our inn is in the noble’s quarters.” Chaud made a surprised noise. “It is? How do you afford it? You have to spend money just to go into a shop down there! And how is it that all three of you are staying at the same inn if you’ve never met each other before?” Clearing his throat, Jinn answered. “Ahem. Uh, well, you see, Mayim and I have known each other for, uh, some time now. Prauge’s staying there, on the other hand, was a coincidence.

“I don’t understand, though, why you don’t seem to want to go into the noble’s quarters. If you are as good of a thief as your reputation says, you should be able to piece together a suitable disguise. Although, your eyes and hair will be a problem.” Jinn snapped his fingers. “Ah! Got it!” He began to dig around in a small pouch that attached to his belt. After extracting some spare fabric and a small stick of wood, he handed it to Chaud, who looked completely baffled. Jinn extended his hands towards Chaud and began to chant.

With an extremely nervous look, Chaud turned to Mayim. “What, in the name of all that is holy, is he doing? I thought that he didn’t need materials for spells!” Mayim seemed amused by Chaud’s words and explained briefly. “For alteration magic, you have to have something to alter.” In another flash of light, the pieces of fabric had transformed into two identical bandannas and the stick was now a long walking stick. Still not understanding, Chaud cast a querying look at Jinn. Rolling his eyes at the thief’s slow wits, he explained. “One bandanna to cover your hair, another to cover your eyes. The stick, you use to find your way around. You are now officially blind. Prauge, if you would be so kind, could you please be our new cripple’s helper?”

Trying and failing to hide his mirth, Prauge nodded consent, and helped Chaud tie the bandannas on. Soon, they were three people leading a blind friend to an inn in the noble quarters.

Half an hour later, Jinn was helping his “crippled brother” up the stairs of the inn that he, Prauge, and Mayim were staying at. Once up the stairs, Prauge left to go to his room to get his stuff. Meanwhile, Jinn and Mayim were steering Chaud to their room. As soon as the door was closed securely behind them, Jinn told the thief that he could take the bandannas off. Sighing in relief, Chaud removed the fabric from his eyes and head. He started to hand the three pieces of his disguise back to Jinn, but he shook his head and motioned for Chaud to keep them for future use.

Deciding to break the uncomfortable silence, Chaud walked to the window of the room, admiring the view, and asked, “So where is your room, Mayim? Is it as nice as this one?” From behind him, Mayim answered, “Yes and no.” Chaud grunted a response and focused on the magnificent houses, more like small palaces, really, that the noble’s resided in. Then he realized that she had not answered the first part of his question. Turning around, he was about to repeat his question, when his breath caught in his throat. Both Jinn and Mayim were still in the room, but Mayim had taken off her robe, apparently with the intent to change clothes and not thinking that Chaud would turn around.

She was hugging Jinn in a tender embrace, passionately kissing the mage. She was dressed in a shift that spared her modesty well, but did nothing to hide her glorious curves or her high, rounded breasts. The shift went down to just above the middle of her smooth thighs, revealing long, toned legs. The shift, while hanging loosely on her slim frame, did nothing to hide the rounded shape of her firm rear. For the first and probably only time in his life, Chaud Stryke, smart-ass thief extraordinaire, was speechless.

Sensing his lavender gaze, Mayim broke the embrace, looked Chaud in the eyes, blushed, and went into a smaller room that Chaud hadn’t seen because the door was in the way. Chaud stared at Jinn in disbelief. Jinn’s tanned features colored slightly at the unwavering gaze. Not knowing what else to do, he smiled. “Who can say what form love will take? Even if it is between races.”

“But you’re human.”

“So?”

“You. Are. Human! She’s an elf! There’s nothing wrong with being with her, but seriously! She will outlive you by at least eight centuries. For her to look the same age as you, she must be almost two centuries old! How can you love her so deeply, knowing that?”

“Eventually, you’ll understand that age doesn’t matter as much as most people think that it does,” Jinn sighed, “Love is as love does. You can’t control it, and the age gap isn’t quite what you think it is.”

“What in the seven hells are you talking about? You can’t be any older than me, and elves mature at their own pace. Unless she’s a halfy, then there is no way that there could be a small age gap between you two!”

“I’m sorry, but what did you call her?”

“A halfy. Half-something. You know how there are half-orcs and half-elves? Well, on the streets, they’re just called halfies, regardless of their other race and pretty much frowned upon. No offense meant.”

Jinn smiled grimly, “None taken, but it’s more than your life’s worth to insult her. I will restrain myself from doing lasting harm, but if she gets angry, all bets are off. And I can guarantee that she is a full-blooded elf.”

Utterly confused and about to say something, Mayim came back into the room, dressed in a very odd manner. No longer was she wearing a sky-blue robe. Now, she was wearing what looked like a leather harness that completely covered her torso. It stretched to cover her shoulder and her bountiful chest, and extended a ways along her upper arms and all of the way down her legs. She had various straps going around her leather armor, one of them with her mace fastened to it. The leather was colored a deep blue, setting off her eyes, much like her robes did. Blushing again, she answered Chaud’s amazed stare. “Well, in the cities it’s fine, but wearing a robe out in the wild is stupid unless you’re a wizard. This is much more practical. I promise you, there is a very good reason for my wearing it.” She turned to Jinn. “Well, now that he knows that we’re lovers, I figured that I should go ahead and change. Did you finish packing everything.”

Jinn grimaced. “Ah, no. I didn’t get a chance to since I was talking with Chaud.” Jinn absently waved his hand. All of their possessions flew about the room and shrunk to fit into Jinn’s small pouch. “Okay. Done.”

Chaud’s mouth was hanging open. “I thought that you said that you couldn’t use magic to move things!” Another amused expression spread across Jinn’s face. “Oh? Well, yes, that’s true. But, with the destructive spells, I often have to move air around to accomplish whatever task I am trying to do. I simply did the same thing to hold them aloft and push them along. At the same time, I used alteration magic to shrink them.”

“Are you some kind of all-powerful magician, or something?”

“Oh, good heavens, no! I only have so much energy that I can use on spells. This is all small stuff, so I haven’t used much. Real spells used in battle take much more energy. Now, put the bandannas back on. We would look very strange indeed if the person who had walked in here blind had somehow had his sight restored. That kind of thing is beyond the powers of the highest clerics.” Grumbling to himself, he began to put them back on, with a little help from Mayim. Jinn walked outside, looking for Prauge. He met Prauge just around the corner of the hallway and led him back to the room where Mayim and Chaud were waiting for them. Once together, they left the inn and headed towards the slums.

As they got closer to the slums, the four companions began to notice a rapid change in their surroundings as they went from whitewashed walls and wide, clean streets to dingy buildings and cramped, cluttered alleyways. Chaud, his false bandages removed, looked about the area with something that looked remarkably like sympathy. Prauge and Jinn kept their faces carefully emotionless, while Mayim looked on the verge of tears. Keeping her voice steady, she asked Chaud, “How can the people live like this? Don’t the nobles care at all?” Snorting, Chaud gave a curt reply, “The nobles? Don’t make me laugh. I’ll be very surprised if one of them has ever done a selfless thing in their lives!” Jinn cleared his throat at that, but Chaud continued on as if he had not heard anything. “These people live as best they can, without any help from those selfish, bloated plutocrats! Most of them don’t live past their forty-fifth birthday. Very few even live that long.”

Chaud turned away as a little boy, his belly bloated from starvation, called his name. “Chaud! Chaud! Did you get any food?” Chaud bent down and picked the little boy up. The little boy’s stick-thin arms went around Chaud’s neck instantly, giving him a great hug. His skeletal face was split by a wide smile as his muddy-brown eyes stared into Chaud’s purple ones. Chaud tried to return the smile, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. “I’m sorry Jongen. I was caught before I could get any food.”

The boy’s smile left his face in an instant. He then looked to Jinn, Mayim, and Prauge, standing around them as they watched this scene. His eyes were filled with a burning hatred that shocked them. “Leave him alone! He never did anything to you! He’s a good person! Go away! If you don’t let him go, I – I – I’ll kill you!”

Stunned by the boys words, Chaud couldn’t find any words to scold the boy, nor could anyone else. Jinn, however, saw a different solution. He moved towards Jongen, his golden eyes glittering in the sunlight. Jongen took one look into those eyes, and began to cry. Not bawling tears, but a silent kind of weeping that only shows itself through the tears streaming down his face. Taking the child from Chaud, he spoke softly to him. “We are not the bad guys here. We were all caught, and taken to see someone. He told us that, if we behaved, we can help many, many people. People like you. Would you like that?” The boy nodded and Jinn continued. “Good. Then will you help us?” The boy nodded again. “Good, then here is how you can do it. I want you to be a good boy and help other people like yourself. I will give you something to help them. Will you promise me to help them?” Smiling this time, the boy nodded. “Very good! Now, run off and find the biggest bag that you can find. We’ll wait here for you. Hurry along now.” Now beaming, the boy disappeared into the crowded alleys.

Prauge was bewildered and Mayim was curious. Chaud, though, was staring at Jinn in an inscrutable manner. Jinn, ignoring all three stares, was digging around in his pouch. When the boy finally returned, he was carrying an enormous sack, probably one that had been previously used by the nobles to throw out garbage. Looking at Jinn expectantly, he watched as Jinn pulled out a single, solitary leg of chicken. Jongen looked crestfallen. He began to get an angry gleam in his eyes when Jinn tossed the leg into the sack. “Just wait one more moment. I did promise that I would give you something to help everyone, right?” Jinn was chanting again. His mumbled syllables reached a crescendo and a flash of light filled the bag. Suddenly, the bag was filled with countless chicken legs. Unfortunately, the sack was now too heavy for the boy’s bony limbs to budge, let alone lift. Jongen wasted no time in pointing this out.

Jinn chuckled. “Well, we will just have to do something about that, won’t we? I am going to cast another spell, this time on you. Unfortunately, the effects are not permanent, but there will be some side effects that should leave you in much better health than you are now.” Looking at Jinn with a mix of curiosity and fear, the boy held still as the mage began to cast another spell. Jinn suddenly seemed to be having a little trouble pronouncing the words that had, up until now, passed smoothly from his lips. Mayim stepped forward, unhooked Jinn’s staff, and handed it to him. The words seemed to come more smoothly, but he still struggled.

Finally, Mayim sighed, and began to pray to her goddess. A blue glow suddenly surrounded her. Almost at the same time, a golden nimbus settled over Jinn’s body. Now the words were coming very smoothly. Reaching the climax of the spell, Jinn threw his hands at the boy, as if he was trying to move something very heavy.

With a great lurch, Jinn moved forward and seemed to thrust something into the boy’s body. Moving forward anxiously, Chaud looked to see if Jinn had done him any harm. Jongen had a strange look on his face, his eyes not seeming to see anything. Suddenly, the boy’s frail form seemed to stiffen. Slowly, his pot-belly shrunk, leaving him looking normal, if still extremely thin. Then his body began to thicken, his arms and legs developing a fine tone. His stomach had become flat, and his chest no longer had a caved in appearance. He stiffened further, though it was hard to see how he could have done that. The small boy began to get less small as his height increased by a few inches and his still-skinny limbs began to develop hard, defined muscles. While not standing out very clearly at rest, the muscles were very obvious.

Finally relaxing, the not-so-small boy looked around, wondering what had happened. He looked down at his body and gave a yelp of surprise. His eyes tearful with gratitude and awe, he looked back to Jinn, who now appeared extremely tired, almost as if he had spent the entire morning running without a break. Catching his breath, Jinn leaned on his staff for support. “If you want to thank me, go now and give out as much food as you can. You may, of course, keep some for yourself and your family. Now go. You will only stay like that for a few hours. Your body should retain its tone, though. You will basically be caught in between this form and your original body. I would guess your original height and much smaller muscles. Now hurry!” Tears leaking down his face, a smile threatening to tear his now fleshed out face in two, he ran down the nearest alley, shouting his thanks, promising to help everyone he could and be a good boy.

Mayim shook her head, laughing at the now very healthy boy as he skipped down the street. Prauge even let a small smile crack his granite-like face. Chaud, though, with his crimson hair, violet eyes, and wide, gaping mouth, looked very much like a landed, exotic fish. “H-how d-d-did you d-do that?” Jinn, though still weary, smiled at Chaud. “Alteration, remember? That boy would have died in about two weeks had I not done that. I really just hit two birds with one stone. Bringing him from the point-of-no-return, though, was harder than I expected. If Mayim hadn’t been here, I doubt that I could have finished that spell before collapsing. Healing is not what alteration magic is meant to do, and I just changed his fate by doing that. If it weren’t for… er… other things, I would likely have died from the strain. If we ever get back from this mission, please do not tell him what I did. Knowing that you could die in the gutter is enough stress for a child. Knowing that he almost did would have bound him to me in a way that would be bad for both of us. Will you promise me that?” Chaud nodded solemnly. Jinn nodded back. “I need to eat and regain some of my energy. Can we get going now?” Chaud nodded again and led his three new friends through the twisting streets to his home.

As he gathered his things, Jinn was wolfing down whatever food Chaud had stored there. Chaud was more than willing to part with it after all that Jinn had done. Besides, it wouldn’t have kept long enough for them to get back to it. Prauge was sitting outside, examining the alleyway that this house was on. Mayim, meanwhile, was talking to Chaud. True to his nature, he couldn’t help but slip in some smart-ass comments. “So, why do you live here, if you’re a thief? Couldn’t you just live in a nicer house, so that you could prey on the nobles that you hate so much?”

“I’m not a thief, I’m a liberator.”

“Whatever. Like Ryu said, stealing is stealing.”

“Hmph. It doesn’t matter. I stay here because these people need me. They have no one who can protect them or take care of them when times are particularly harsh. And I don’t hate all nobles. I have met a few that weren’t too terrible. They helped me as a kid…” Chaud quickly changed the subject. “Well, anyway, I just take from those who have too much and, mostly, give to those who have too little. I keep some for myself, of course, to fund my little campaign. I actually have some people who openly help me here, though. Even if they don’t do it openly, I can always find an open door from a family around here if I need to be hidden. That boy, Jongen, all that he has left is his mother, who was giving up her food to help him survive. She was worse off than he was. I expect that, unless Jongen gives her some of that food quickly, she won’t be much longer for this world. You have no idea how bad it is here.”

“Honestly, I don’t want to know. I just want to help them.”

Chaud paused in his packing, and then continued at a faster pace. “Look, don’t get mushy on me. If you want to help them so badly, why don’t you use some of your clerical powers to help them? The quicker that we get this over with, the better.” Slinging his pack over his shoulder, he tried to push past Mayim to get out of the room. Before she let him through, she spoke to him. “I don’t use my powers because to do so every moment causes them to lose any strength that they have. Jinn can’t help everyone either. Helping one boy who was fated to die nearly took all of his energy. How can he do it with so many? Magic and the gods and goddesses do not exist to end all problems, but to exist as we do. We use them as tools to achieve whatever ends we desire. There are other ways to help them besides stealing. Try to find it.” A blank look on his face, Chaud moved past her into the main room, where Jinn was just finishing.

“Feel better?” Chaud asked gruffly. Jinn nodded and stood up, no longer having to lean on his staff. “Great. Let’s go.” Jinn looked to Mayim, asking with his gaze what had put Chaud in such a bad mood. Through that single, short glance, Jinn understood what had happened. Putting his arm around Mayim’s slim shoulder, he led her out the door. After getting together with Prauge and Chaud, they moved to the west exit of the city. As the moved out of the slums, Jongen caught up with them, his sack empty.

He was nowhere near as muscular as he was when they had last seen him, but a good amount of tone was still visible. “Thank you again, sir! Thank you so much! I just came back from my mom. She wanted me to give this to you.” He gave Jinn a slip of paper. Jinn smiled at the happy boy. “Thank you and give my regards to your mother. Oh, and my name is Jinn Skye. If you can find him, there is a man who works for the military named Commander Ryu ‘Quicksilver’ Reis. Please tell him my name and of your living conditions. I’m sure that he will send someone or thing to help.” He took out another piece of chicken, waved his fingers over it, and it grew to three times its size. He wrapped one of the bandannas that Chaud had used around it and gave it to Jongen. “For you and your mother to share.” Jinn winked at him. Jongen couldn’t hide his glee. “Thank you! Oh! Before I forget, don’t look at that piece of paper until you’re outside the city. Thanks again!” He smiled at Jinn, looking truly happy and content, and ran off into the hustle and bustle of the city.

They stepped through the city gates and looked at the mountains and the forests in the distance. Chaud sighed at the distance that they had to travel. He turned to Jinn. “So what did Jongen’s mother give you?” Jinn shrugged and unfolded the paper. On it was a message untidily scrawled. So you can always find your way to what you seek. Below the writing was the same symbol that both Ryu and Jinn wore, the magen david with a line through the middle. Unlike, the others, it didn’t shift colors. Instead, its six points were six different colors, the topmost being yellow. Going clockwise around it, the other points were blue, red, green, orange, and violet. The line in the middle was black. The yellow point was oddly highlighted, almost as if a ray of light from the sun now setting before them in the west were shining specifically on it. Jinn turned the paper so that he was holding it up-side down. The writing had moved, but the symbol had not. He moved it to its upright position.

Smiling broadly, he turned to Chaud. “I think that the boy that you are so fond of is the son of a sorceress. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is able to learn the wizardly arts himself. I really must come back here and see him sometime.” Chaud looked thunderstruck. “Well, my companions,” said Jinn, “let us not tarry any longer. We have some work ahead of us, which is best done quickly.” Without one more word, they set off into the sunset.

[gblock01]

Here's the next part. Enjoy!  😀
There's a tiny bit of cussing, and there will be in most of the other sections, so get used to it. 😉
Seriously, though, if it bothers you, just stop reading.

******************************************************

Chapter 2

The man that was speaking turned to his audience. He was an older gentleman, but still moved with a fluid grace that showed him as a true fighter. In the gray light of the stark white room, his grizzled features and smooth gait were comparable to a wolf. An old wolf, but still a wolf.

He was clearly over the hill, but his six foot frame still stood straight, as if he had several feet of steel shoved up his spine. His long, dark brown hair was beginning to gray at the temples and silver streaks could be seen throughout his straight hair. It was held back with a white bandanna that had a symbol on it that resembled a magen david, but a horizontal line cut through the opposing triangles marred the image. The symbol seemed to shift between the colors red, blue, yellow, and green.

He wore a white tunic of extremely fine weave, as well as buckskin pants. The very top of a chainmail shirt could be seen under his tunic, at the neck. Across his chest, two straps crossed in an X pattern, each leading to a sheathed saber. The sabers poked over each of his shoulders, above two shoulder pauldrons. His feet were covered by heavy, hobnailed, leather boots and his hands were covered by a pair of hardened-leather gloves. When looked at in full, the man seemed to be ready for a full assault.

“I do not believe that you have ever had the pleasure of meeting with me, so I will introduce myself. I am Commander Ryu Reis. My companions call me ‘Quicksilver’, but you… fine individuals may call me ‘sir’. I will answer to only the titles of ‘Commander Reis’ and ‘sir’. Anything else is your ass. Understood?” he barked. He moved his gaze across the small, square room, passing over the mages in each corner and focusing on the four individuals in front of him.

Three of them sounded off in a clear, “Yes, sir!” The fourth merely said, “Sure, sarge.” Ryu didn’t explode in a fit of rage, as the other three expected. Instead, he smiled. It wasn’t a very friendly smile. If this were taking place as part of the animal kingdom, that kind of smile would be the wolf saying that you were about to be dinner.

He turned his eyes to the fourth figure, making a note of how he dressed and held himself. The figure before him was tall, about an inch shorter than Ryu. He was dressed lightly, in a tunic and a light cloak, as well as buckskin pants. They were all darkly colored, clearly marking this person as one who does most of his work in the dead of night, out of the view of most goodly folk. Similar to Ryu, he had a pair of swords worn across his back, but they were short swords, not sabers. With less of a reach, but more maneuverable, his possible occupations were narrowed down to being either an assassin or a thief. He wore thin boots, good for walking long distances, usually without sound. What gave him away, though, were his gloves. Unlike what an assassin would wear, the fingers of his gloves were removed to allow a thief the necessary dexterity to pick complex locks.

The only things that were not consistent with his stealthy apparel were his hair and his eyes. His hair, displayed out in the open, spiked with a thick gel, was a bright crimson color. His eyes, though, stood out even more. His eyes were bereft of the usual colors that were seen and appeared a deep violet hue. No one would ever forget seeing eyes like those.

Leaning in, Ryu spoke softly, “I’m sorry, son, it’s the curse of getting old. What did you say?”

Smiling cockily, the thief replied, “Listen carefully this time, pops. I said that I understood. Do you need a hearing horn or something?”

The stern commander stared into the thief’s purple eyes, never dropping his smile. “You must be Chaud Stryke, a thief with an impressive reputation on the streets.”

Chaud, still smiling, waved his hand as if what the imposing man before him was saying was irrelevant. “‘Thief’ is such a negative word, and not a very accurate one, besides. I like to think of myself as a ‘liberator’. After all, I do liberate goods from people who don’t need or deserve it and give it to those who do.”

“Regardless, stealing is stealing. You had better reconsider your position or you will be thrown into the deepest cavern that we can find, to play with the golems.”

Chaud’s cocky smile never faltered. “You have no right,” he said. “I have done nothing wrong. You can’t touch me.”

Ryu motioned to one of the spellcasters in the room. Immediately, one stepped forward and handed a stack of papers to him. Looking at the papers in his hand, Ryu began to read parts of them aloud. “Chaud Stryke: wanted for petty larceny, grand theft, arson, burglary, robbery, trespassing, breaking and entering… The list goes on. If you behave, all of this can just go away.”

Chaud’s smile persisted. “I may have acted outside the law, from time to time, but I did so for good moral cause. Never once did anyone get hurt, and there were no witnesses to testify against me. You can’t touch me,” he insisted.

Ryu began to chuckle under his breath, enjoying the sport ad knowing the eventual outcome. Deciding to humor him, Ryu continued bantering. “We have been watching you for some time. We have all of the proof that we need to lock you up for good. Here are a few of the cases that we have had our eyes on. Approximately two years, five months ago, you broke into a nobleman’s house and stole all of the gold that he had stored there.”

“Nobles steal from the commoners, so I just stole it back. I never kept any of the money.”

Ryu continued, unconcerned. “Another case of burglary occurred about three months later, this time, though, you struck a military depot, stealing some weaponry as well as a good amount of ammo and rations.”

“They went to a group of soldiers that were busy fending off some creatures from one of the forests that the elves don’t inhabit.”

“About one year ago, you burnt a factory to the ground.”

“That was an illegal sweatshop where nobles were using children to make various goods.”

“A number of months ago, you waylaid a caravan of a wealthy merchant’s goods and, after stealing some, burnt the rest.”

“What I took, I gave to some beggars. What I had burnt was illegal contraband.”

“About one month ago, you burnt a warehouse down to the ground.”

“Okay, that one was for me. The warehouse was abandoned, and I figured that the iron dust in there would burn a brilliant color.”

Ryu smiled again. “That was still destruction of private property that didn’t belong to you. You just admitted to that in a room of seven potential witnesses. The list continues. Do I need to go further, or do you understand where you stand with the law?”

Chaud’s crestfallen look was answer enough. Turning away from him, he surveyed the rest of his captive audience.

The first person that he laid his eyes on was a relatively young looking dwarf with an enormous beer-belly. The actual size of his gut was masked by loricated plate armor that covered his entire torso. He had matching armor on his legs. His feet were covered by metal plated greaves and his hands were protected by tempered gauntlets. A warhammer swung easily at his hip. He had a full helm with a T shaped section missing from the front for seeing and breathing tied to his belt on the opposite side of the warhammer. This particular individual was Prauge Gutrot, a warrior of some renown amongst the dwarves that lived in the mountains to the west.

The next one was a beautiful elven woman. Straight, long brown hair framed a face unmarred from her almost two centuries of existence. Physically, she would be as developed as a human woman of nineteen. She was a cleric of Mystra, the goddess of Magic, and dressed accordingly. On her head, she wore a golden circlet that bore her deity’s symbol. The fact that it was a gold circlet meant that she was a high priestess. She wore a sky-blue robe that seemed to almost float as she moved. The color perfectly mirrored the deep blue color of her eyes. On a sash around her slim waist, she had a small mace. From just under the hem of her robe, the toes of her high-laced sandals could be seen on her petite feet. This figure of beauty was Mayim Aquus, one of the most powerful priestesses to have ever walked this planet.

The last individual was something altogether different. From what Ryu knew of him, he was a mage, but he certainly wasn’t dressed as one. Instead of the customary robe, he was wearing a finely woven tunic as well as a pair of lightly colored pants. On both hands, he wore light, tightly fitting gloves. On the back of each of the gloves sat the same symbol that was on Ryu’s bandanna. He also wore heavy leather boots that rose halfway up his shins.

To further detract from the wizardly image, he wore two metal plate shin guards behind his boots and two bracers, one on each forearm. Both the pair of shin guards and the bracers were made of a metal that he had never seen before. At first glance, they appeared to be made of highly polished steel. If one looked more closely, however, one would notice odd under- and overtones of color in the shiny metal, similar to how many enchanted items, particularly weapons and armor, looked. Unlike those types of items, the pieces of armor bore no trace of any magical properties.

The only thing that made him look like he might be a wizard was the staff that he carried. It appeared as a normal quarterstaff, but it was clearly enchanted to allow its holder to focus easier. This was an enormous boon, considering the fact that this apparently young man, Jinn Skye, specialized in two different schools of magic: destruction and alteration. If the spells cast from their respective schools of magic were not properly focused upon, both could have dire consequences.

Further removing himself from the image of a frail spellcaster, his body was well toned and was obviously more than ready to use his staff as a weapon at a moment’s notice. He looked more like a monk or a fighter than a wizard or a sorcerer. His short, dark brown hair contrasted sharply with the rest of his clothing, which were all light in color, yellow being predominant. At the same time, his eyes matched his clothing perfectly. Like Chaud, Jinn’s eyes were a most unusual color. His penetrating gaze was a distinctly golden hue, which tended to gather light and reflect it, giving him an animalistic appearance. The most striking thing about his eyes, though, was the innumerable number of years of experience that they reflected. He had the body of an eighteen year-old, but his eyes looked more fitting for the oldest of elves. More unusual, was that he was a human.

Clearing his throat, Ryu continued. “I know who you all are, so there is no need for further introductions. Now that we are all clear on who I am, we can continue. To put it simply, you are all being charged with the task of eliminating our odious overlords.” He motioned to the spellcasters in each corner of the room before continuing. “Until now, we have not had any information on who or what the five creatures leading the beasts were. These wizards will be crafting illusions to show you what your foes look like.” As he finished, the room was filled with four separate images, each one depicting a different monster, obviously the four generals.

Ryu motioned to the first one, a male harpy of obvious beauty. His muscles were sleek and taut, reflecting his eagle-like avian parts. In a closeable quiver hanging by his side, a number of javelins could be seen. Unlike most harpies, this one wore armor. On his torso, he wore hardened hide armor, as well as matching armor on the fleshy part of his upper legs. His lower legs simply had leather bracers on them, as did his forearms. “This is Aurae Cepusculi. He is the commander of the avian forces under Trajanus’s control. Thankfully, he is not of a patient mindset, and is often rash and emotional. While not stupid, he is easily goaded into making foolish mistakes. Like most male harpies, he is incredibly conceited, so anything that can wound his pride will push him over the edge.

“In contrast, this is Torreo Facis.” This time he pointed to the humanoid form of a drake. He was an obvious descendent of a green dragon, as his yellow eyes and green scales indicated. He, unlike Aurae, was heavily armored. He wore a set of heavy chainmail that extended over his arms and had a large great axe strapped to his back. He wore special gauntlets that were crafted to fit his three-fingered hands. He didn’t wear any boots. His large, three-toed feet were spread out too far to fit anything that could possibly be made for them. His legs, though, were protected by fitted metal plates that completely covered his unusually shaped legs. He also wore a helmet that was molded to his head, as well as his serpentine neck. “He is the central intelligence that controls the creatures that rule over us. Without him, their campaign would never have succeeded. He is crafty, and holds no loyalty to anyone but himself. You will have to outfox him to best him.”

The third figure was a massive mound of a mixture of clay and stone, molded into a humanoid shape. The only distinguishing feature was an enormous ruby, about the size of an orange, which was set into the middle of its forehead. Chaud’s eyes sparkled with delight as he gazed upon the magnificent gem. Ryu cleared his throat again. “Don’t get any ideas into your head, thief. That gem can only be owned by the king of the golems. If anyone else possessed it, they would be plagued by golems until it was returned to the rightful king. Killing the king won’t work, either, because a new one would assume command as soon as the old one passes on. This is Silex Lautumia. This brute is about as dumb as you can get, but is fiercely, even blindly loyal. This powerhouse can change the shape of various parts of his body to create different types of weapons. His favorite is a bladed whip that extends from his arm. The only way to get rid of this thing is to destroy it completely. He controls the ground troops.”

The last figure was one of a beautiful woman. She was short, only standing at four feet five inches, but that did nothing to hide her outlandish beauty. She wore a white robe that protected her modesty, but was transparent enough to leave nothing about her curvaceous form to the imagination. Her body was highly toned, with slight definition in her muscles, further accentuating her shape. Her high, firm breasts jutted out proudly, each one perfectly round and firm. They were each about the size of grapefruits. Her hair was of a golden color, similar to Jinn’s eyes, with a more metallic look than a normal blond color. Just under her flowing locks her ears were visible. They came to a definite point, much like an elf, except they weren’t as prominent as an elf’s. Her eyes were another oddity, shining a definite silver.

Her face was something that should be unattainable for anyone of any mortal race. Her features were smooth, and her skin was a creamy white. Her nose was in perfect proportion with the rest of her face. Her full, pouting lips, in sharp contrast with the rest of her creamy features, were a bright, cherry red. In the image, she was smiling, showing two rows of perfectly straight, white teeth. The image was breathtaking, until you got a better look at her teeth. Her canine teeth were longer than they should be, making them definite fangs. That alone was enough to turn Chaud off, despite his lecherous nature.

“This is the last of the generals, Nymphae Inrigo. She is a siren, that is to say something akin to a succubus. She is the commander of all of their aquatic forces. While she has no apparent weapons in this image, she will use a trident, if the situation calls for it. She is inhumanly strong, and, if you don’t keep your wits about you, she can use her voice to place you into a trance. She, like Aurae, is incredibly vain. Unlike Aurae, she can use her body to get what she wants, and is not shy about doing so. My only advice about dealing with her is to bear in mind a simple saying, ‘Beauty is only skin-deep.’”

Waving his hand, Ryu signaled to the wizards in the room to interrupt the illusions. On another signal from the Commander, they combined their spells to create one large illusion. This one was of a gigantic red dragon. Its terrible, lamp-like, golden eyes, since it was an illusion, were devoid of any life, but they seemed to bore into everyone’s very soul. Its eyes had vertical slits, like a cat’s, and seemed to reflect all light in the room. Its red scales glowed an orange color, as if its inner fires were constantly heating them. Each great tooth was about as long as one of Chaud’s short swords. Its body filled the entire room, wings and all. Ryu let the enormity of the beast sink in before he spoke again. “This is Trajanus Cecidi. I’m sure that you all know what his role is. Unfortunately, we still don’t know that much about him. All that we know for sure is that he is the oldest and most powerful of his kind. As you are now, you will have a difficult time fighting his generals, to say nothing of fighting and killing him. You will need to find a very specific magical item first.

“The item that you will be seeking is one that was crafted by good dragons of long ago, we believe the sliver ones, the ones that were strongest in magic, but the most powerful dragons, the gold dragons, may have been involved as well. We have precious little information concerning this item. Its nature and location are unknown, as are the powers that it bestows upon it owner. All that we know is that it exists somewhere between the mountains and the coast. From all of the legends that we have poured through, we believe it to lie somewhere in the middle of the largest forest that the elves don’t occupy. I believe that it is called the Woods of Sleeping Death. I’m not sure why, though. Probably due to the unusual number of mortis trees that exist around its perimeter.

“Your mission is to find all of the information that you can, get into the forest, and find the location of this artifact, if it exists in that region. If you find it, bring it back here so we can find out what the actual enchantments are. If, in the course of your mission you find out what it does, then you are given my permission use whatever force necessary to storm Trajanus’s cavern and use the object to defeat him. You will be sufficiently compensated for your work. In the event that you do anything that helps Trajanus or his forces to obtain this item first, other agents from our organization will be sent out to neutralize all who were a party to treason. Do you all understand what it is that you must do and what it is that is at stake?”

This time, all four sounded out with a clear, “Yes, sir!” Ryu nodded grimly. “Very well. You are dismissed. Mages! Please guide our troops to the center of the city!” As soon as those words were said, the four new companions and the four wizards vanished in a flash of blinding light.

[gblock01]

WOW!!!  😮

[gblock01]

😮 😮 😮 😮 😮 😮
😳 Excuse me. I need to go clean myself.

[gblock01]

No problem. Like I said, I get something out of this too. Right now, I'm a little preoccupied with finals for college, so I don't have enough time to spin anything out right now. My suggestion is to pick one of the characters as the main character and use the other a her best friend. I'd suggest going with the second one (modern) as the main character, mostly because she has a broader range of abilities and her personality can change as she learns how to control them. By the way, one of the different types of "Kinesis-es" (whatever the plural is) is Biokinesis. Basically, it is the control of cell growth. From what I have seen on the net from believers, this can either be instantaneous or over time. Logically, I'd say that, if it's real, it would take place over time, but write what you want. I'm pretty sure that I don't need to spell out what the possibilities of this power are. 😉

Anyway, I hope that this helps a little. When I have more time, I can probably spin out some other characters.

[Author]

Posts